News
Who Is Beating Back Book Bans?
Amidst a rising tide of anti-LGBTQ book bans, activists, authors, and librarians are organizing to make sure LGBTQ stories are still heard.
Sara Youngblood Gregory
March 22, 2024
Amidst a rising tide of anti-LGBTQ book bans, activists, authors, and librarians are organizing to make sure LGBTQ stories are still heard.
Students who read and talk to each other about stories with social themes report greater motivation to read, greater use of reading strategies, and insight into human nature than those who do not.
“Sometimes, the loudest voices we hear and the strongest voices we hear don’t necessarily reflect the majority,” said Ashley Koning, the poll’s director.
Editor Cyril Mychalejko speaks with Rann about his book “Resistance Stories from Black History for Kids” and about why we are seeing a war being waged against Black History being taught in K-12 public schools and in colleges and universities across the country.
The book-banning and censorship wars are part of the larger culture wars driven by white evangelical Christians, a key part of the Republican activist base.
A Temecula Valley High School drama teacher was placed on leave for assigning Tony Kushner’s iconic, Pulitzer-winning play.
Democratic State Sen. Amanda Capelletti said the bill is part of a “stunning and increasing trend of censoring books in schools and libraries,” and “a direct attack on the right to read and our freedom of speech.”
“Censorship must be called out for what it is. Removing, restricting, or imposing policy and intimidation on school librarians that limits the selection of materials will harm our students,” said Pennsylvania School Librarians Association President-elect Sarah DeMaria.
In Front Royal, Virginia, 53 local radical traditionalist Catholics filled out some 600 reconsideration requests to remove 139 LGBTQ+ books from the public library. And that was just the beginning.
Ehasz’s unwavering support for teachers and public education was highlighted in contrast to Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick’s support for extremist Moms for Liberty-backed school board candidates.
Advocates for the unhoused in Bucks County weigh in on what this decision could mean for our most vulnerable community members.
The new federal standards demonstrate that the Biden administration takes clean water seriously and will continue to take necessary action to stop chemical manufacturers from endangering our most vulnerable residents.
“Keeping people in poverty is not how we move the Commonwealth forward – our current wage is immoral and unjustifiable,” said the Philadelphia County lawmaker.
Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson are fear-mongering over noncitizen voting, which is among the oldest tactics in American electoral politics.
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